Impatiens are blooming powerhouses.
Learn how to plant and grow these colorful flowers, and they’ll keep going until the first frost.
They can produce flowers nonstop for an entire growing season and don’t need deadheading to keep going.
Credit: Justin Hancock
The soft color palette of impatiens allows them to blend well with pretty much anything.
They should be planted in shaded or semi-shaded locations, spaced 10-12 inches apart.
These prolific bloomers make excellent edging for a shady border.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Impatiens do exceptionally well in planters as long as the soil is hospitable and there’s good drainage.
Impatiens are hardy inZones 10 to 11but usually grown as anannual in colder areas.
How and When to Plant Impatiens
Plant impatiens afteryour area’s last spring frost.
Credit: Ed Gohlich
Dig a hole the same size as the plant’s container.
Remove the plant from the container and carefully loosen the roots.
Place the plant in the hole, fill it with soil, and give it a good watering.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Keep the plants 6-12 inches apart to facilitate low-growing flowers.
The closer together they are, the higher the plants will grow.
By keeping them low, impatiens will act as a supporting player for taller, showier flowers.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Once the first frost comes, your impatiens will turn to mush.
you’re free to overwinter them indoors, though.
Impatiens are relatively low-maintenance.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Light
Plant impatiens in a spot where they’ll get 2-4 hours ofpartial morning sunand afternoon shade.
They thrive under shady trees or near bushes or shrubs that protect them from sunlight.
Impatiens can be grown in full shade, but the plants won’t be as abundant without some sun.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Soil and Water
When planting impatiens, give them rich, well-drained soils.
In containers, any general-purpose potting mix will do.
Impatiens should be watered regularly and kept moist but not very wet.
Credit: Justin Hancock
If you overwater, they become susceptible to diseases.
Impatiens are not very tolerant of drought, and the plants will quickly wilt during prolonged dry spells.
Luckily, they’re very quick to bounce backonce watered.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Give them water, and they should quickly revive.
Impatiens do well in humidity.
Fertilizer
Fertilizing before you plant usually supplies enough nutrients for annual impatiens to last the season.
Credit: Justin Hancock
you’re free to use any all-purpose,balanced fertilizer, such as a 13-13-13 or 10-10-10 blend.
This usually happens around midsummer, but they can bepruned anytimetheir colors fade and they begin to look spindly.
Keep impatiens plants short and bushy for the best flowers and color.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Potting and Repotting
These quick-growing and easy-care flowers are perfect forplanting in pots.
Pests and Problems
There are a few things to watch for when growing impatiens.
A fungus called downy mildew is particularly devastating.
Credit: John Reed Forsman
Downy mildew can be tricky to identify in the early stages.
It typically begins by causing leaves to yellow and drop off or die.
Eventually, this can become more dramatic, and portions of the leaves will erratically become brown and dead.
Credit: Chipper R. Hatter
you’re able to identify downy mildew by their trademark downy white spores on the undersides of leaves.
It has better sun tolerance than most varieties.
‘Fiesta Burgundy’ double impatiens
Impatiens’Fiesta Burgundy' bears beautiful burgundy-purple double flowers on 16-inch-tall plants.
Credit: Jason Wilde
It grows 16 inches tall and 1 foot wide.
It grows 16 inches tall and 1 foot wide.
‘Fiesta White’ double impatiens
Impatiens’Fiesta White' shows off pure white double flowers.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
It grows 16 inches tall.
‘Fusion Glow’ impatiens
Impatiens’Fusion Glow' bears golden-yellow flowerswith orange throats.
It grows 16 inches tall.
Credit:Krystal Slagle / BHG
‘Fiesta Stardust Pink’ double impatiens
Impatiens’Fiesta Stardust Pink' bears pink double flowers stippled with white.
It grows 16 inches tall.
(Zones 10-11)
‘Fusion Sunset Peach’ impatiens
Impatiens’Fusion Sunset Peach' bears warm apricot-peach flowers.
Credit:Justin Hancock
It grows 16 inches tall.
‘Fusion Heat Coral’ impatiens
Impatiens’Fusion Heat Coral' bears coral-orange flowerswith yellow throats.
It grows 16 inches tall.
‘Xtreme Rose’ impatiens
Impatiens’Xtreme Rose' bears large, bright rosy-pink flowers on 12-inch-tall plants.
Plant in a shady spot in spring after all danger of frost has passed.
It likes rich soil high in organic matter, so add some compost at planting time.
Keep well-watered and mulch to keep the soil cool and moist.
It may not flower in areas where summers are very cool.
Its small, needle-like leaves have a soft texture that creates a feathery look.
Asparagus ferns do best inwell-drained soilrich in organic properties.
Once they’reestablished in the garden, they’re drought tolerant.
They should be kept consistently moist in dappled shade.
New Guinea impatiens have larger flowers than most varieties.
Also, New Guinea impatiens appear to be resistant to downy mildew.
The downy mildew problem has resulted in quite a bit of research on breeding resistant varieties.
Many of these new varieties are more similar toNew Guinea impatiens, which are not affected by the disease.
